shrew
shrews
Use the noun shrew — at your own risk — to refer to a woman who is argumentative, nagging, and ill tempered.
The noun shrew can also refer to a mouse-like animal with tiny eyes, a long snout, and a sharp bite. Superstitions associated with this small mammal led people in the thirteenth century to use the word shrew to describe a spiteful person, male or female. The word later came to be used to describe a nagging, ill-tempered woman, as in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Unless you are a famous dead author, however, you may want to steer clear of this one in conversation: it’s considered offensive.
-
small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles
-
synonyms:
shrewmouse
-
types:
- show 8 types...
- hide 8 types...
-
Sorex araneus, common shrew
common American shrew
-
Sorex cinereus, masked shrew
commonest shrew of moist habitats in North America
-
Blarina brevicauda, short-tailed shrew
North American shrew with tail less than half its body length
-
water shrew
any of several small semiaquatic shrews usually living near swift-flowing streams
-
Cryptotis parva, least shrew
small brown shrew of grassy regions of eastern United States
-
American water shrew, Sorex palustris
water shrew of North America
-
European water shrew, Neomys fodiens
widely distributed Old World water shrew
-
Mediterranean water shrew, Neomys anomalus
a type of water shrew
-
type of:
-
insectivore
small insect-eating mainly nocturnal terrestrial or fossorial mammals
-
a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman
-
synonyms:
termagant
-
types:
-
virago
a noisy or scolding or domineering woman
-
yenta
(Yiddish) a vulgar shrew; a shallow coarse termagant
-
type of:
-
disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman
a woman who is an unpleasant person
-
virago
Vocabulary lists containing shrew
Explore the world of animals with this list of words that will make you go hog wild! From aardvarks to zebras, it's sure to be more fun than a barrel full of monkeys!
Explore the world of animals with this collection of words that will make you go hog wild! From aardvarks to zebras, it's sure to be more fun than a barrel full of monkeys! Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, A Vocabulary Bestiary
During the influenza epidemic of 1919, Rachel's guardians send her to England to impersonate their daughter and claim her inheritance.
Look up shrew for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
